Projects
Globalization and Restructuring in Rural America
Globalization and Restructuring in Rural America, a June 2005 conference sponsored USDA’s Economic Research Service and Farm Foundation, examined the technological breakthroughs, changing consumer preferences and trade liberalization transforming how and where products are made. A critical policy challenge is finding ways to smooth the progress of structural change while enhancing the productive potential of workers and rural communities facing local economic contraction.
This conference focused on the circumstances of rural areas that are typically more reliant on trade-sensitive sectors, and where economies are less diversified than in urban locales. Participants–community leaders, policy officials, program administrators and researchers–gained a broader understanding of how global economic forces impact rural communities, and how government responses might assist in economic restructurings.
| Welcome Betsy Kuhn, Director, Food and Rural Economics Division, USDA’s Economic Research Service Walter Armbruster, Farm Foundation |
| The Issue and its Rural Context Stephen MacDonald, USDA’s Economic Research Service Assessing the Benefits and Distributional Costs of Globalization:|Robert Thompson, University of Illinois The Rural Context of Restructuring from Globalization: Tim Wojan, USDA’s Economic Research Service Discussant: Leslie Hossfeld, Institute for Emerging Issues, North Carolina State University |
| How Rural Workers and Industries are Affected by Globalization Import Penetration in Traditional Rural Manufacturing Industries: Jean Crews-Kelin, North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center Displacement of Textile and Apparel Workers: Karen Hamrick, USDA’s Economic Research Service Discussant: Mark Henry, Clemson University |
| The Case of Offshoring Services Globalization and the New Economy in Rural America:Martin Kenney, University of California-Davis Which Jobs are Most Vulnerable to Offshoring: Jon Sargent and Chester Levine, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Current U.S. Programs Erin FitzGerald, U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Dolores Esser, Commissioner, Virginia Employment Commission Bill Hagy, Deputy Administrator, Business Programs, USDA Rural Development-Rural Business Programs |
| Local Strategies for Responding to Restructuring Modernization and Increasing Competitiveness:Jan Youtie, Georgia Institute of Technology Promoting Distinctiveness through Design: Stuart Rosenfeld, Regional Technology Strategies The Role of Entrepreneurship: Deborah Markley, RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship |
| Policy Recommendations and Future Research Directions Thomas Vollrath, USDA’s Economic Research Service Randy Johnson, Commissioner, Hennepin County, Minn. Howard Rosen, Trade Adjustment Assistance Coalition Walt Armbruster, Farm Foundation |
05-22